India's Defence Budget Increased By ₹50,000 Crores Amid Security Concerns

Significant Budget Boost in Response to Operation Sindoor

The central government is going to increase the defence budget heavily in response to recent tensions with Pakistan. The government is reportedly considering adding an extra ₹50,000 crores to bolster the defence sector. This is due to the recent military operation, Operation Sindoor. The overall defence expenditure for the year now stands at ₹6.81 lakh crores. Once the hike is sanctioned in the next winter session of Parliament, the overall defence budget will breach ₹7 lakh crores.

Greater Emphasis on Security Threats from Neighbouring Nations

The budget this year shows how the government plans to boost national security, particularly considering the continuous threat posed by China and Pakistan. The amount to be allocated under the budgetary proposal is ₹6,81,210 crores, a 9.53% increase over the allocation for the financial year 2024-25 of ₹6.22 lakh crores. It also indicates a 6.2% increase from the revised estimate of ₹6.41 lakh crores. A major chunk of this budget is likely to go towards purchasing advanced weapon systems. The defence budget now constitutes 1.91% of the GDP of the country.

Use of Supplementary Budget for Key Defence Areas

The suggested ₹50,000 crore addition is most probably for research, new machinery, and procurement of advanced weapons. The budgetary addition will help provide for defence modernization and preparedness. For comparison, the defence budget of 2014-15, the year in which NDA took office, was ₹2.29 lakh crores, which stood at 13% of the budget then.

Background: Operation Sindoor and Escalation in Tensions

On 22 April, terrorists ambushed the Baisaran Valley in Jammu and Kashmir, which is close to Pahalgam and famous for tourism. The attackers, wearing military uniforms, shot 26 tourists at point-blank range. India retaliated with strikes on terrorist camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Pakistan under Operation Sindoor. The response fanned the flames of tension with Pakistan, which responded with aggressive military moves. But with India firmly resisting, Pakistan later backed down and signed a ceasefire.